Universally Designed Assessments

Overview

Universal design principles address policies and practices that are
intended to improve access to learning and assessments for all students.
Universal design principles are important to the development and review of
assessments because some assessment designs pose barriers that bar students
with disabilities from showing what they know. Universal design techniques
can result in more accurate understanding of what students know and can do.
Universal design of assessments is different from accommodations because
accommodations require authorization from Individualized Education Plan
(IEP) teams. Universal design techniques can be applied from the beginning
of test development to the point when students engage in assessments.
Universally designed general assessments may reduce the need for alternate
assessments, and may provide states with more cost-effective assessments.
Further, tests designed with universal design principles can provide
educators with more valid inferences about the achievement levels of
students with disabilities, as well as the achievement of their peers
without disabilities. Universal design elements and procedures are
undergoing continued explication and research.

NCEO is supported primarily through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326G050007,
#H326G110002)
with the Research to Practice Division, Office of Special Education Programs,
U.S. Department of Education. Additional support for targeted projects,
including those on LEP students, is provided by other federal and state
agencies. The Center is affiliated with the Institute on Community Integration
at the College of Education and Human Development,
University of Minnesota. Opinions expressed in this Web site do not necessarily reflect those
of the U.S. Department of Education or Offices within it.